Thursday, 27 July 2017

Pawlett Match, Landsend Fishery, Lakes 2 and 3. 23rd July 2017

Well a short blog about Sunday's match, I think. But 1st I went to Summerhayes to practice paste fishing on Saturday and had a boat-load of fish, which was a bit of fun.

Anyway to Sunday. The day started fine, arrived early enough and chattered to a few people and paid my dues.
Trolley loaded and draw underway, 4 golden pegs fell with 2 on each of the lakes. I wanted to be on the Match Lake (lake 2), but there was a few 'short walks' which took up a good few of the pegs on the lake I wanted, ho hum.

So into the bucket and peg 65 was set to be my location for the day, I hate that peg with a passion, and really contemplated putting the kit back in the car. But I made the walk up to the peg, and the rain started....I arrived and just sat and stared at the water, there was a few fish mulling around, there always is in this peg. But the reeds on the right hand side of the peg are a nightmare. 15 minutes later and I was still sat debating if to bother, but I did bother. The rain was set in and mood wasn't bright.

Peg 65, Lake 3, Landsend......effing reeds!!

4 rigs set up, a shallow pellet rig for across to the island (and anywhere I could try and mug fish), a deep pellet rig for tight to the island, where I had 2.5ft, pretty much the same as all over the peg.
A meat rig for next to the reeds and a paste rig for down the middle.

The match began and after 30 mins I had bumped a couple fish and lost a couple foul hooked carp.
My 1st fish came after an hour, a 1lb F1, soon followed by it's twin.
The next 5 hours were less than great, I landed a small 2lb carp from against the island but every carp I hooked across would take me around the reed bed and it would be game over. I tried heavy gear, light gear, shipping back quick and even trying to play them in open water, but they were not having it and would inevitably find their reed-bed-sanctuary. Even those I hooked on the furthest part of my peg to my left away from them.

Nobody, well except Neil Venning and Eric Fouracre were catching much in the scheme of things, just odd carp really.
I was getting annoyed as hell, trashing rigs and cursing the fish, the shallow water definitely put the turbo-boost into the fish. I even managed to destroy a number 4 section, ah well....
In the end I resorted to fishing topkit to my right with no.20 laccy wrapped around my hand in the hope no elastic would come out on the strike, well there were not really any strikes just thte float was there, then the elastic was in the reeds, nothing in-between.
I ended up on 0.24>0.22>14 b911x in the hope to get some fish out, well I lost maybe 25 during the day but landed 5 or 6, plus my 2 F1s for 23lb.
Luckily my DT Floats pretty much stood up to the challenge and although I had to bin them after the match, they stood up to the abuse very well indeed with each fish getting in to the reeds.
Coupled with the all day rain we had, it wasn't an enjoyable day.

I wasn't last on the lake, there were a few dnw's and a few lower nets weighed in off Lake 3, but it was Neil (p62), Eric (p61 I think) and Jamie Cook on peg 70 that caught well enough. Lake 2, the Match Lake had apparently fished better with a few 100lb nets I believe, but cannot be sure as I had gone home by the time they had started to weigh that lake. Not sure of the results.

Not sure where I am fishing next, I have Pawlett's Silvers Winners Final on Durleigh in a couple weeks, but this weekend? No idea....

About Me

39yr old angler. I started fishing at around the age of 14 or 15. I was pretty much self taught as nobody in my family fished, it was magazine articles and by joining BAA's junior section.

I began fishing on the KSD, Huntspill and local club waters mostly. But the Exeter Canal and River Exe were regular places for me to fish.

I fished with the successful Bridgwater Juniors of that era, we had a bunch of talented anglers and were the final bunch of kids to come through the club ranks then.

We fished plenty of regional and odd national events, which were brilliant experiences.

I kept match fishing and plenty of pleasure fishing for a few years, doing rather well on these on the Rivers, Drains and Canals. Plus the odd decent result at Viaduct, Sedges and Avalon before these fisheries became what we see them as now. But I was losing interest.

Soon enough though attendances dropped on the natural venues and my lack of enthusiasm saw me quit the match scene in favour of specimen fishing, eels, bream, tench and then carp became my targets. 7lb+ eels and uk carp to 30lb+ were caught, plus double figured bream and tench among other species.

Eventually I settled down with my current wife and we have 2 brilliant kids, all of whom fish.

So after a few years catching various specimen fish I decided that I wanted to return to match fishing, my laid back, yet competitive approach to life was the main pull.

I knew that matches on natural type venues would be rare so I began my return by fishing the evening sweeps at Apex and Sedges during 2012. I did ok, not great as I was so out of touch with the current trends like pellet fishing, method feeders, pellet wags and such.

But I learned a bit, coupled my busy approach to fishing saw me fully enthused in getting back into it properly.

My favourite styles of fishing are still the waggler and maggot/caster approach for silver fish or the whip for roach. But the needs for these types of tactics are not needed much so I have learned to accept and enjoy what is required on commies, and I seem to be doing ok.

The method feeder was an approach I avoided, but now I enjoy it, the pellet wag is another I am improving on. Which keeps me interested. My inclination to fish for silvers is my current weakness.

Having fished my 1st White Acres festival in March 2014, I plan on doing at least one a year as I learned loads and the fishing is a nice variation on my normal venues.

I have not turned my back on the carp fishing and am still a member on a brilliant water that will be (even more) special in a few years time, so I have some un-finished business in the pipe line.